Kandy Day Tour from Colombo

Overview

Kandy, Sri Lanka's hill capital, is home to the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic, a UNESCO World Heritage Site sheltering one of Buddhism's most venerated relics, set beside the scenic Kandy Lake. Many day visits from Colombo also call at the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage en route. Kandy is roughly 115km from Colombo, a journey of about three hours by road.

Kandy · the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic

What's included

Private Air-Conditioned Vehicle
Professional English-Speaking Chauffeur Guide
Fuel, Parking & Highway Tolls
Government Taxes
Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic & Pinnawala Entrance Fees
Lunch

Highlights

Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic (UNESCO World Heritage Site)
Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage, on the way up
Kandy Lake and the viewpoint above the city
Peradeniya Royal Botanical Gardens
A working tea factory and a tasting
A wood carving or batik workshop
Kandyan cultural dance performance, if the timing works

How the day runs

1

Early morning: Pickup in Colombo and the climb inland

An early start from your hotel, the airport or the port. Kandy is about 115km inland: roughly three hours, and a steady climb as the coconut plantations give way to the first hills.

Hotel, airport or port pickup
The Colombo–Kandy road through Kegalle
A tea or breakfast stop along the way

2

Mid-morning: Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage

Pinnawala sits just off the Kandy road, which makes it a natural first stop. The herd is walked down to the Maha Oya river to bathe, and bottle-feeding of the younger animals happens on a fixed schedule, so your guide will time the stop around it.

The herd at the river
Bottle-feeding (subject to the orphanage’s fixed times)
The elephant nursery

3

Midday: Gardens, tea and lunch

Peradeniya’s Royal Botanical Gardens sit on a loop of the Mahaweli river just outside Kandy: orchid house, palm avenue and a giant Java fig. A working tea factory nearby opens its floors for a walk-through and a tasting, and lunch follows.

Peradeniya Royal Botanical Gardens
Tea factory tour and tasting
Lunch
Wood carving or batik workshop

4

Afternoon: Kandy: the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic

The temple shelters a tooth relic of the Buddha and is the most venerated Buddhist site in the country. Where the schedule allows, your guide will time the visit around one of the daily puja ceremonies, when the drummers play and the inner chamber is opened.

Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic
The drummers and the daily puja
Kandy Lake
The viewpoint above the city
The old town and the market

5

Evening: Cultural dance, then back to Colombo

If your timing allows, the evening Kandyan dance performance (drummers, masked dancers and fire-walking) runs before the drive back down to Colombo.

Kandyan cultural dance performance
The drive back to Colombo
Drop-off at your hotel, the airport or the ship

Gallery

Good to know

Distance from Colombo: About 115km each way, roughly three hours by road
Door to door: Allow 12–13 hours from pickup to drop-off
Dress code: Shoulders and knees covered at the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic; shoes are removed at the entrance
Pinnawala: Feeding and river-bathing run to fixed times, so the stop is planned around them
Walking: Gentle. The gardens and the temple involve a fair amount of level walking, no climbing
Pickup: Your Colombo hotel, Bandaranaike Airport or the cruise terminal

Best time to go

Kandy sits at about 500m, so it is cooler and greener than the coast all year. December to April is the driest stretch. If you can travel in late July or August, the Esala Perahera (nights of caparisoned tuskers, drummers, dancers and fire) is the single most spectacular thing in the Sri Lankan calendar, and worth planning a trip around.

Frequently asked questions

How long is the drive from Colombo to Kandy?

Around three hours each way for the 115km. It is a hill road for the second half, so it is slower than the distance suggests. An early start keeps the day comfortable.

Is Pinnawala included, or is it optional?

It is included in the entrance fees for this day, and it sits directly on the Kandy road, so it costs you no detour. If you would rather skip it and spend longer in Kandy, just say so.

What should I wear for the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic?

Shoulders and knees covered. A shawl or a long skirt over shorts is enough. Shoes and hats come off at the entrance, and white or light clothing is customary though not required.

Can we see the Kandyan dance performance?

Usually, yes. The performance runs in the early evening and fits the day if the temple visit goes to plan. It does make for a later return to Colombo, so tell us in advance whether you would like it included.

Can we visit the Esala Perahera on a day trip?

The procession runs on ten nights in late July or August and finishes late, so a same-day return to Colombo makes for a very long night. Most people prefer an overnight in Kandy for it, and we can arrange that, or fold it into a longer private tour.

Is this better as part of a longer tour?

If Kandy is all you want, the day trip does it well. If you also want Sigiriya, Dambulla and Polonnaruwa, the 5-day Cultural Triangle private tour covers the whole region without four hours of driving a day.